Costume Revelations

A costume can reveal much about a film character. For example, a character's social and economic class can be represented through the style and quality of her or his clothes, shoes,
and jewelry, and whether those clothes are clean and fresh or tattered and soiled. Clothing also exposes a character's unique personality traits and self-image. Steve Wilson, the Ransom Center's Associate Curator of Film, talks about Robert DeNiro's costume in Taxi Driver, and how it supports and enhances the interpretation of the character Travis Bickle.